Chico >> An East Avenue church is asking the city's permission to construct a 56-foot-tall steeple to improve communication with a higher power.

That power, in this case, is AT&T.

The wireless communications carrier is hoping to improve coverage and capacity in north Chico by installing a "stealth" tower hidden inside the Christian Life Center church building, and is providing the church with financial incentive to do so.

"Unusual, no. New for Chico, yes," said Greg Redeker, associate planner for the city of Chico, noting other jurisdictions have used disguised towers for years to preserve aesthetics.

If this tower is approved and constructed, it will be the first true stealth installation of wireless communications in Chico, Redeker said. Certain portions of the structure will be made of materials conducive to sending and receiving radio frequency transmissions, and the base of the structure will house radio cabinets and other associated equipment — none of which will be visible to the public.

North Chico has seen various efforts for enhanced wireless telecommunications services but some have faced challenges due to location, said Redeker, who is recommending the Planning Commission approve the project's use permit Thursday. All 23 other towers in the city are standalone or mounted on existing structures, such as water towers or the top of Enloe Medical Center.

"It's a function of physical communications and Chico's topography," Redeker said. "We are flat and we have a lot of trees. It's not like we can put something up on a hill."

This 56-foot-tall steeple, which is 21 feet taller than normal maximum structure height in the area, would be at the front of Christian Life Center sanctuary at 1492 East Ave. The proposed structure incorporates elements of the existing church building and will be textured and painted to match existing construction.

The church was approached by AT&T two years about the possibility of an on-site cell tower and it was eventually determined the front of the chapel was the only viable place. The church supported the idea because it offered a lot of positives, said senior pastor Jeff Young.

"The first thing is the cellphone reception over here is really bad," Young said. "But that's not really enough reason for us to say yes. It was really about what it would do for our building and for our community."

AT&T is funding the installation of the tower and related visual upgrades of the dated-looking church, as well as paying the church a monthly lease for using the site. Young declined to share the financial details but said the funds will support the church's programming, such as upgrades to the Little League field that operates behind it.

"Our heart of the church isn't to serve ourselves," Young said. "It's really to serve the community."

Alexandra Krasov, director of communications for AT&T California, said the tower will solve a gap in coverage that is compounded by growing demand for wireless service as more people drop land lines and utilize smart phones and tablet computers. In the last six years, AT&T has seen a 50,000 percent increase in data traffic on its wireless network.

"It's kind of staggering," she said. "It's because the way we use technology has changed."

As the carrier tries to keep up with consumer demand, it looks at both coverage and capacity, which includes stable and reliable signal strength to get inside people's homes, in cars and as they drive at high speed.

Stealth towers are one of the least intrusive ways to improve service. Fake trees are often embraced in natural settings, slim poles are used in industrial areas, and churches are also common, Krasov said, noting dozens have been utilized across the state.

"We have to be the tallest structure in the immediate surrounding area to make sure the technology is effective but we also don't want to stick out like a sore thumb," she said. "How do we get the height we need? Church steeples, by virtue of that architectural design, they tend to be tall."